Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Hassan Goes to the Auction – Part 7

The garden.

A spacious and open area adorned with well-tended flowers, trees, fountains, and marble sculptures—things that were expensive and precious.

It was a place where the term “kitchen garden” or “yard” did not fit, but rather the term “garden,” befitting its classical and affluent ambiance. Hassan and Luna had arrived at such a place.

Luna, upon seeing the massive iron gates and the thorny vines that formed a colorful fence, commented:

“Wow, I’ve been here before, but it feels different this time.”

“Isn’t it?”

The mansion of Count Sarditch was located between the East Gate and the central part of the downtown area. For me, even the patch of land beneath my feet was unattainable, so it was unimaginable just how wealthy the Sarditch family must be to own such a grand mansion and garden.

I had been invited once before to a nighttime event held in honor of war heroes.

Back then, it was too chaotic and dark to get a clear view, but during the day, it was indeed a magnificent and beautiful garden.

The garden of that Skull Baron’s villa was similar to this one.

The nobles—these silver spoon brats. What must it feel like to be born and live in such mansions and gardens? As someone like me, I wouldn’t know. It’s clear we live in entirely different worlds regardless.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Luna pulled out a scroll from her pouch at her waist and unfolded it to read.

“Alchemists of the Alchemist Guild, please gather in the garden by ten o’clock in the morning… Hmm, this is kind of nerve-wracking even though it’s still before ten.”

“It’s still a long way off. Technically, it’s closer to dawn right now.”

Without wristwatches or smartphones, we couldn’t tell the exact time. That’s why we decided to leave at dawn to ensure we weren’t late for the appointed time.

The reason we were heading to the Count’s garden was because of a proposal letter sent by Count Hawkins from the Sarditch family to the Alchemist Guild.

It was also because of Count Hawkins’ proposal to certain potion-makers in the Alchemist Guild.

“Why has he called me? Does he want to buy my medicine?”

While Luna shook her two strands of pink hair, seemingly clueless about the reason for the summons, I had my suspicions.

Since the healers couldn’t show any progress in treating his daughter, he might be trying to use potions or elixirs for treatment.

“Hassan, quick, let’s go into the garden! We can’t be late!”

“Right, and don’t forget to use polite language in front of the Count. Otherwise, there might be trouble.”

“I know! I can handle that much! Hassan, make sure you cooperate as we planned. Though, I have no idea where Paranoi is these days.”

“Alright, I’ll help you.”

After exchanging quick reminders, Luna and I entered the garden. The guards we recognized from before blocked the entrance by crossing their halberds.

“What’s the purpose of your visit? This is a merchants-free zone. You must know this is private property of the Sarditch family, right?”

“Here, this!”

In response to the question, Luna showed the invitation she had. With a quick glance, the guards exchanged a look and opened the gates for us.

“There, fill out your identity and name in the visitor’s logbook before entering. We’ll give you a badge to wear on your neck. By the way, you have come early for the 10 a.m. appointment.”

“What time is it now?”

The guard glanced at the hourglass attached to his chest.

“It’s about eight.”

Are we two hours early? Even so, it’s better to come early than to be late, so I wasn’t disappointed.

Finally, after signing the visitor’s logbook with our name and entry time, Luna and I entered the garden. We were met by trees and animals, even more dazzlingly decorated than what we had seen from the outside.

At that moment, Luna tapped my arm.

“Hassan, look over there! It’s a deer!”

True enough, in the direction Luna pointed, there was a deer with an impressive set of antlers on its head—it was likely a male.

“That creature would yield excellent velvet if we could catch it! Look how majestic those antlers are. If we could capture it, it might significantly improve our health.”

Although I agreed with Luna, I reminded myself not to touch the deer raised in the garden; doing so would only cause problems for both Luna and me. Plus, these creatures, even wearing golden nameplates, clearly showed they were well-loved.

“…Deer! Deer!”

However, Luna kept staring at the deer with an almost pathological fascination. Her heavy breathing suggested she was quite excited.

What kind of reaction made her act this way? I recalled that Luna had once lost some accumulated money to a deer—though, in reality, it was Actaeon in deer form.

The memory of being attacked by deer and being thrown by its antlers still lingered vividly in Luna’s mind.

“Deer! Deer!”

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

I gently led Luna away, deciding to explore the garden a bit more. There was still two hours before the gathering time, giving us plenty of time to wander around this expansive garden.

“Hey, Hassan, look! It’s the statue of Venus!”

Indeed, what my guess turned out to be true—Luna seemed to quickly shift her attention away from the deer and found something new to focus on with excitement.

Where Luna pointed, a n*ked female figure was carved out of marble, clearly a masterpiece of sculpting.

“Well-made, but it’s not a match for my Moai Totem!”

“Is that so?”

“Look here. The arm is covering the front, making it look strange. If I were to create it, the arm should have been pulled back like so—”

Suddenly, Luna stopped her explanation.

Crack!

The reason being, when Luna slightly nudged the statue’s arm, the left arm broke off at the shoulder and fell to the ground, shattering.

Luna and I stared at each other, unable to utter a word. But then Luna finally spoke up:

“Hassan, what do we do now? Why did it break so easily!? I just barely touched it!”

“Uh-oh, we’re in trouble. Let’s take down the other arm as well.”

“Why?”

“If we only have one arm, it’ll look weird. Breaking both arms will make it look more complete.”

“Where did you get such an absurd idea! But let’s do it anyway!”

“Alright!”

There was another reason for this. It seemed the statue, while called the Venus statue, wasn’t as perfect as it needed to be—not deficient, but rather too excessive.

I’ve only seen the priestess Hershi possessed by Venus, but I thought her aura would be better captured with some subtle imperfections that suggested humility and grace.

Therefore, I grabbed the right arm and pulled it off. As a result, I too became an accomplice to Luna.

Strangely, while the left arm broke cleanly off at the shoulder because we forced it, only a portion of the right arm, more specifically the forearm, dropped awkwardly.

That gave it a certain rustic charm.

Crack!

The sound seemed to carry far and wide, bringing the voice of an extremely enraged man.

“d*mn it! What are you doing!?”

Uh-oh, we’ve been caught.

“How dare you destroy this masterpiece by Millo, the statue of Venus! d*mn barbarians! You know nothing of art! Do you have even a sliver of appreciation for it!?”

The sculptor was a dwarf with a stylish brown beard. Seeing him waving his hammer and nails around angrily, we felt a genuine chill.

“d*mn it, I spent sleepless nights making this! Just a little more, it was almost complete… It was such a striking image, as though the goddess herself whispered into my mind…”

The man went from yelling to slumping down in sorrow. His grief and anger were understandable.

“That… we’re sorry.”

“Hmph. It’s fine. I can still repair it, since even in this condition it can be salvaged. But Millo is a genius, mind you. Anyway, do you remember what the original shape of the arms was?”

The dwarf sculptor looked at us, but to our surprise, Luna and I couldn’t recall the original shape of the arms. Apparently, the sculptor himself hadn’t been able to figure it out after pondering various possibilities.

“Never mind, I was wrong. Both arms missing is its true perfection. I can see it now—how I was being too excessive. This unfinished shape is actually the most beautiful.”

“Is that so?”

“Primitive and violent things can also be art at their finest moments. Thanks to you, I’ve had a revelation! I apologize for calling you barbarians.”

“Ah, it’s fine.”

“Absolutely fine!”

I don’t know exactly what he meant, but both Luna and I were busy nodding. After all, what could we say without mouths to explain?

As we continued our exploration of the garden, it soon approached ten in the morning.

“Alright, members of the Alchemist Guild. I am the butler, Jin. Please follow me, and I’ll take you to the apothecary room.”

*

Following Jin, a man somewhere between middle-aged and elderly, we came across a space equipped with flasks, various chemical reagents, and instruments to boil and cool materials.

The sight reminded me of the workspace in the Alchemist Guild, as well as the science classrooms I visited during my middle and high school years. Essentially, this was a space not too different from that.

Look at that—a mana centrifugal separator.

And there’s the ultra-low-temperature cooling system. Has it been enchanted with a freezing magic?

I already knew the wealth of the Count’s family was significant, but I hadn’t expected such a luxurious workshop to be located inside the mansion.

Luna and I, alongside many other alchemists and apothecaries who followed the butler into the room, saw their eyes shimmering behind their glasses, suggesting they understood how remarkable this facility was.

At that moment, the butler spoke.

“Today, you may freely use everything here to create potions.”

Hearing this, many faces lit up, revealing wide smiles. Luna herself seemed unusually excited, hitting my arm repeatedly. Ouch.

Then someone asked.

“So, will you really pay the promised reward if we do a good job?”

“That’s correct. As the representative of the Count, Jin the butler, I give you my word. You distinguished potion masters, known within the Alchemist Guild, carry expectations from both the Count and his daughter. Please do not disappoint us.”

Reward.

At the mention of the reward, the already elevated excitement in the room soared even higher. Some participants, behaving quite childishly, started jumping around.

But I understand; the invitation mentioned the reward, and the amount was substantial. It was hard for anyone to remain calm under such conditions.

“Reward = Gold coins 100 gold + Exclusive sponsorship contract with the Sarditch family.”

A hundred gold coins.

But what excites the alchemists even more would be the “exclusive sponsorship contract” with the Count’s family, listed afterward.

In the long term, there’s nothing better than entering an exclusive sponsorship agreement with a Count’s family, compared to merely receiving a hundred gold coins. A lot of artists and craftsmen strive to catch the eye of the noble Sarditch family, don’t they?

Indeed, those looking to gain fame in the world would not be uncommon. Therefore, it’s understandable why everyone was so excited.

Of course, for me personally, that 100 gold coins was incredibly attractive. If I got it, it’d probably solve most of my pressing issues.

While I thought about my money bag, someone else inquired.

“So, can we see the patient? We’re talking about the young lady.”

“Indeed. Each person may meet her for exactly one minute, under the strict supervision of selected guards and maids.”

At this, sighs could be heard from different corners of the room.

One minute? How can we diagnose the patient’s condition in such limited time?

Being the daughter of a noble family, this task was bound to not be simple.

If you’re not confident, you should back off. Anyway, the reward is mine.

Reactions from the participants were varied. Watching them, I eventually turned my eyes toward Luna, who was rustling with the bag she had slung over her back.

“Luna, are you confident?”

“Of course! I’ll show you the ultimate technique I’ve been fine-tuning. It’s the ultimate skill!”

“Ultimate technique?”

Did Luna have an ultimate technique? I imagined her holding the Totem of Silence and striking a fierce blow across the lower body of the young lady.

Before long, the image of both our heads hung in the town square for public disgrace formed in my mind. I immediately furrowed my eyebrows and snapped out of it.

“Ultimate technique? Did you learn how to use something like that, Luna?”

“I learned it from Nemea! Everyone will be surprised, I’m sure! If it works well, the potion market in Sodomora itself might be shaken!”

While it wasn’t uncommon for Luna to act confidently, today she seemed extra sure of herself.

“Exactly what are you planning to make?”

In response to my question, Luna rummaged through her luggage and quietly but firmly said,

“A Jade Essence.”

[Author’s Note] By the way, Hassan and Elpride represent the relationship between a clingy ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend… Whenever they’re together, emotions flare up, and they hastily wound each other with words they don’t mean.

But now, inserting a realistic romantic subplot into a fantasy web novel seems somewhat regretful… At the time, I thought it would be fun!

Still, the important thing is not that…

… I was once that poor Michu, carrying an inappropriately heavy cross and bumbling around like a fool…

If only Elpride practiced water magic instead of fire, the entire city would have been cooler and much better off…!!!

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